Rain & Rework
Monday, Dec 3rd
a message from
=KRISTINE CAREY ~ CATALYST=
It rained here non-stop for 3 days and today everything feels soggy, including my brain. The rain did help me do some reading, and you can see my review of the new book Rework below. I’m curious – does the rain make your brain soggy, too, and if so, what do you do about it? Hit reply, I’d love to hear.
All wet,
Kris
==What’s possible when you give the gift of coaching?==
Coaching is truly a gift that keeps giving – a gift for you, a gift for your company, a gift for your colleagues or employees. In the spirit of boldness I encourage you: if you’ve been thinking about coaching for yourself or someone you know, now’s the time to boldly go there! Time to let your ideas out, remove those obstacles, clarify what’s important and take action.
Sign up for a complimentary Discovery Session here and see what’s possible!
==Book Review: Rework==
I recently read Rework, written by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, the fellows who founded 37 Signals. (37 Signals is an internet company with useful products for productivity; in the interest of full disclosure I use their CRM, Highrise, and really like it.)
If you are in any way in business for yourself this book has the capacity to be a game changer. And, if you’re still stuck in an office, you can apply the principals here as well, as many of them make sense in any type of business.
It’s a quick read, 288 pages, with one point per page and on most pages a hand drawn illustration. This is one of my favorite parts about the book: they make valid points in 500-ish word essays, with pictures, rather than being a weighty, dense “businessy” book. They are irreverent with an easy writing style – easy to understand, to the point, conversational, fun. The book is chocked full of common sense and many of their points come from a contrarian point of view. A few examples:
Planning is guessing
They submit that since you’ve never done this you don’t really know how it’s going to go. Best to jot down a big picture outline and get moving, filling in the details as you go. I’ve got a client that had a cocktail napkin vision for her business 7 years ago and is now making a great living, serving lots of customers, and growing in ways she could never have anticipated when she began.
Good enough is fine
I love this one. So many people feel they have to deliver a 10 in every aspect of their business, yet it’s not true – you can discern what requires a 10 and when a 5 will do. Case in point: earlier this year I was teaching a class at the Small Business Administration that I’d never taught before. I had other things happening that required my attention as well, so while I had a vision of what the “perfect” presentation would look like, I also had a back up, good enough, presentation in mind. I mentioned this to a colleague and he told me it never occurred to him to deliver anything less than the “perfect” version. I ended up going with my good enough presentation and the evening was a success; the people in the class didn’t know there was a “perfect” version they weren’t getting.
Skip the rock stars
I have a client right now who is debating about whether or not to keep her rock star contractor on. He does good work, yet the breadth of what he can offer is narrow and he’s high maintenance in terms of fees and oversight of his work. She’s wondering if the money he generates is worth the headaches he causes. You may do well with out anyone, with a lesser someone, or maybe even an older someone, who you can rely on with out all the theatrics.
If you’re looking for a quick read that delivers a lot of real world, applicable today kind of information, Rework is your book. Enjoy, and please hit reply and let me know what you got out of reading it!
==I Asked, You Answered: Ann Carter on Being Bold==
A few weeks ago I asked a question regarding what you’re willing to be bold about. Below is Ann’s response:
Hi Kris!
I love reading your updates!
My report on boldness:
I went off sugar completely a week ago today. Actually I went off all refined carbs, I am eating no grains at all. No dairy either. It’s an experiment, to see if I can affect, through diet, some chronic pain I’ve been struggling with. It has been SO intense. I’ve been horribly moody, bitchy, snappy, irritable. No fun for my husband and step children!!!
But today seems better and I’m feeling really committed to the exploration. Thanks for asking about boldness. It feels really bold to finally just DO this!
Love,
Ann
Thank you, Ann, for being bold in such a simple, yet profound, way ~ I hope you’re feeling better! To learn more about Ann Carter, check out her website: www.anncartercoaching.com.
==On the Calendar==
Thursday, January 10 in San Francisco: Presenting at the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship Conference
SAVE THE DATE! Saturday, January 12 in the Bay Area: Small Business 2013 Kick-Off Event, more details TBA
==What I’m up to==
Listening to the 12 Steps to a Compassionate Life by Karen Armnstrong
Hunkering down for the winter and rain
Getting ready for my birthday 🙂
==Share this newsletter==
You may absolutely share this newsletter with people you think may enjoy it. When doing so, please forward it in its entirety, including my contact and copyright information. Thanks and enjoy!
==About Kristine==
Maybe you feel like something’s out of place, but you’re not sure what, or what to do about it? Kristine is kind of like a chiropractor for your business – if you’re not feeling the love or producing the results you’d like to, it’s time for an adjustment. When you’re ready for your work life and business to rock again, hit reply on this email! Find out more at www.kristinecarey.com.
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